Parchman
at the other boys. Xander lit up acigarette and climbed into the jeep. Scott, Seth and Jay shook hands withChuck and clambered into the vehicle.‘Good luck brother,’ said Logan. ‘Take this.’ He gave Chuck a walkietalkie. ‘Keep me posted on what’s happening back here.’
‘You mean keep you postedon me,’ said Tallulah, who was stood with herhands on her hips looking at the two of them.
They looked at each other and Chuck walked away laughing. Loganwalked over to Tallulah. ‘I love you,’ he said.
‘I know,’ she replied, trying to be angry at him for worrying unnecessarily.‘I guess I love you too.’
‘You guess?’ he laughed.
‘You know I do. Just get back to me in one piece.’
Captain Gradel, who had been stood talking to Nathaniel Mathers, walked over joining the pair midconversation. ‘Sorry to interrupt soldier, butit’stime.’
Logan acknowledged him and looked back at Tallulah. ‘If he doesanything. I mean anything. You put a bullet in him,’ he said, referring toMcGregor.
‘I won’t even think twice,’ she said.
Logan kissed her and climbed into the passenger seat of the jeep. His fatherappeared next to the window. ‘Don’t take any chances son. I can’t lose anymorefamily,’ said the ex-President.
‘I don’t plan to dad. We get to the Prison, we get help, we come back. Easystreet,’ said Logan confidently.
His dad put his hand on Logan’s arm ‘You know Danny wasn’t your faultdon’t you son? He made his choice, right or wrong. I know what it is liketo lose a brother to something outsideof your control,’ he said, then lookedaway and walked back to his tent, not sure if he would see his eldest sonever again. But he had to believe he would. Then they were gone.
Within an hour Jay had had enough of the adventure already. ‘Do youmind putting that out?’ he said to Xander gulping down a cloud of smokeand trying his hardest to keep the bile in his throat at bay.‘I mean, is it likethis all the way?’ he said, trying to speak whilst being thrown up in the air.Scott and Seth looked at each other and laughed. ‘Hey Seth, rememberwhen we saw that killer bear the last time?’ said Scott.
‘Remember it? I near damn lost my favorite pair of slacks that day,’ jokedSeth.
‘How much further?’ said Jay to the twins.
‘We’re a lot closer this time round,’ said Seth. ‘Maybe three or four hours.’
Jay heaved and then puked in a brown paper bag he had been nursing.
In the front of the jeep Captain Gradel was concentrating on the road infront of him whilstLogan was studying the map. ‘It was a lot easier withGPS,’ he muttered under his breath.
‘What was that soldier?’ said the Captain.
‘Please Captain, call me Logan. I was saying it was a lot easier last timeout as we had GPS. With all the electronics fried going back to the oldstylemaps isn’t so easy,’ he paused. ‘Can I ask you a question Captain?’
‘It’s Max, and yes of course.’
‘You really knew nothing about the Commander General’s plan? I mean,most of his military knew, but you didn’t?’ said Logan, half scared of theanswer.
‘Hand on heart Logan, I knew nothing. I’m going to be honest here, theCommander General didn’t like me. In fact, most of the guys in his ranksdidn’t like me.’ said Captain Gradel. ‘You don’t know the half of whatwent on Logan. They helped themselves to food and drink from the stores.They took advantage of the women on the base. They did a lot of thingsthatthey shouldn’t have been doing by abusing their position of trust. ByGod I tried to stop them, but it wasn’t enough. I made an oath to protectthe people of America and I was going to do everything I could to upholdthat oath. It was your father that made me Captain when he took over officeand I guess the Commander General didn’t like that’.
‘I’m sorry Max, I didn’t realize,’ said Logan.‘Why would you? You were the President’s son. You were in the same boat as me you just didn’t know it. It didn’t come as too much of a surprisewhen the Commander General did what he did, but I had no question aboutwhat side my loyalty fell.’
‘Well I’m glad to have you with us Max. I’m not going to lie. We sawthings out here last time that no person should ever have to see or livethrough. The horror stories they used to tell us were mostly true. The Curehas turned people into Savages who will literally do anything to eat,’replied Logan.
‘It is what it is Logan. I’ve done tours in Iran and Afghanistan and seenwomen and children murdered. I was there when The Cure finally droveus underground. I was there shooting innocent people to help thisgovernment escape Washington. A government which only months agovoted to kill millions of the population, whether they actually intended toor not. I’ve spent my whole life living in a nightmare. Whatever horrorsare waiting for me out there they are no more than I deserve,’ said Max toLogan.
‘Don’t be so sure of that,’ said Logan pointing to the skyscrapers in thedistance. ‘Welcome to Hell.’
Driving slowly through the city the boys were slightly comforted by thefact that they were in the jeep rather than walking the streets. Somethingwas different this time round. Still that eerie silence, but just somethingwas out of the ordinary. Logan looked into the back of the jeep at the fourboys. ‘We’re going to make a quick stop at Sansom’s,’ he said.
Sansom was the leader of a group of survivors living in the city that Logan and his team had met on their last visit to the prison. A huge man with abig heart and an unbreakable loyalty to his community.
Of course, this time around Logan knew why Sansom was so guardedwhen they were last in the city. The prison had been supplying them withfood and Sansom already knew